Morning Rumors I: Senators, Blues, Oilers, Leafs and Canucks

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Senators scouting meetings ended yesterday, draft and trade deadline lists have been created. The Senators are able to rent a top a top-six forward, but there may not be a lot available. Only the Sabres and maybe the Panthers are out of the race in the East. In the West, the Oilers and Flames will be sellers.

“You’re going to have a lot of teams all going after the same players and that will make the asking prices high,” said a league executive Wednesday.

Trade options for the Senators: The Sens do have interest in Matt Moulson, with the asking price believed to be a 1st and a prospect. The Rangers would like to re-sign Ryan Callahan, but he may be available. The Sens have always liked Ales Hemsky’s game, but not his salary. Sabres Drew Stafford wouldn’t be a rental as he has a $4 million cap hit through next season. Tuomo Ruutu has been available all year, and the Blue Jackets could also be interested in him.

Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The Blues recent struggles have led to more speculation whether they need to upgrade on Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott. Do they go with Jake Allenfrom within (16-10-2 with a 2.14 GAA) or the trade route?

“We know that we have very good players in the American Hockey League, whether it’s Allen or (Dmitrij) Jaskin and (Chris) Porter,” Armstrong said. “But I think right now, we’re going with this group. They’ve put themselves in a good position this year. We’re going through a downturn. I can’t act like it’s not happening. We’re not getting the results that are needed to be a successful team. But I don’t think every time you hit a bump in the road you want to reinvent the wheel.”

Blue GM Doug Armstrong said it’s on the team leaders to help turn them around and not by making changes.

“This now becomes on the fabric of the leadership to grab a hold of the team and get it going,” he said. “Ken can give them the game plan, but he can’t give them the desire and the drive. That has to come internally. The desire to compete for the guy beside you, that has to come from inside the room.”

Eric Engels: On TSN panel saying Oilers should trade Jordan Eberle: “Only player they should and can trade for great value is Nail Yakupov. Sam Gagner is another. You don’t touch RNH, Hall, Eberle” David Staples: (responding to Eberle) “Yeah, instead of getting rid of guys who aren’t performing, trade one guy (Eberle) who has for the last 4 years. Brilliant! Trade Gagner. Trade Hemsky. Petry or Yak even. Trade the 1st overall. But trade Eberle? Why? He’s a real two-way NHL player.

Hope Smoke: Leafs GM Dave Nonis: “I wouldn’t say that I would ever move either one of the goalies, but I don’t envision it right now”

Hope Smoke: Darren Dreger: “I think it’s fair to say the Leafs were considered a serious trading partner for Del Zotto. Talks never got very heavy.” … “Leafs had interest in Del Zotto & there was some Gardiner talk but the Rangers wanted Franson. Leafs scared by MDZ’s inconsistency”

Dan Murphy: The Canucks are looking to bring in Vinny Prospal on an AHL PTO. SportsNet Pacific: GM Mike Gillis: “Based on our injury situation, and not sure what the future may hold it was an option worth looking at.” Aaron Portzline: On Prospal: “Can’t skate, but he never could. Knows where to stand. Passionate, smart player. Has a love/hate thing w Torts.”

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14 Comments

Chris

January 24, 2014 at 10:27 am

LOL Gagner and Yakupov have ‘great value’? In what universe is anybody going to give up a bonafide top NHLer for these two?

I hope the Oilers keep Eberle, Hall, RNH and Yakupov. That way their fans will see how little value their depth players have around the league, the team will never be able to build a legitimate d corps or gain stability in goal and the team will continue to be terrible for years.

Eventually the’ll get better. Especially if they get Ekblad. But what Oilers fans need to realize is that if they want to stay the course and let their young players develop it’s going to take another five years before their d are mature enough to be good NHL defencemen.

Oiler fans like to look at themselves as the Penguins or Blackhawks but the reality is that this year will make 7 out of 8 drafts where the Oilers have had a top 10 draft pick. That makes them more like the Panthers, Islanders or Thrashers.

brent

January 24, 2014 at 10:36 am

chris im from Edmonton and know many oiler fans and you have no fucking clue what you are talking about, a we know we suck trust thats why kevin lowe has to go campaign is happening, and wether you like it or not ganger is a solid second line player and yak is in his second year which is normally a bad year for most players he has yet to play a whole season yet, and yes teams would give up a top line player for him he has alot of promise just needs development so before you want to come on here and act like you know shit do your research first idiot, and to prove my point more im not even a oiler fan i cheer for colorado have my whole life so basically your a idiot

Oil

January 24, 2014 at 10:45 am

Yeaa ok pal. Like you know anything about rebuild and how to run a hockey franchise. Just stick to womanizing and cheap beer and shush up. We don’t need another mr know it all. Your opinions don’t matter know one cares and I dought you’ll get appraise and fame doing this from time to time lmao.

Chris

January 24, 2014 at 11:26 am

Can you guys please re write your posts in English?

Gagner is small, bad defensively, terrible on faceoffs, makes way too much money and doesn’t put up second line numbers.

Yakupov is looking like the next Patrick Stefan.

You guys really shouldn’t have left school before grade 6. It shows in your writing skills.

Shane

January 24, 2014 at 11:56 am

Welcome to Edmonton, where the oilers have no choice but to pay players more than they are worth, just to have these kids stay here. They have little choice but to overpay their players because nobody wants to live here, making it impossible to move their contracts, or bring in most players. However Hemsky and Gagner, are actually both better than 3rd round draft picks in return. They aren’t worth the money they make, but if a team with better scouting than the oilers matched these guys up with the right players their production and effectiveness would increase immensely. Let’s face it, they aren’t getting coached properly and they aren’t with players that compliment their play. Gagner on a line with some bigger guys would help cover his short falls. It would also help if he played on a team where a trainer was telling him how to gain weight. There is so much more to these guys than meets the eye. I am an oilers fan by default. Lived in Edmonton since I was born in 1980. I love the memories. But I hate this organization. I hate the reputation for this city. I hate that top players snub this city so they can live somewhere nice and drive their convertibles. But that being said, we let a lot of players go and they always do better than they did here. Because we don’t manage a team properly. Look at OKC this year. Even our AHL team is below .500, the future is grim. Trading Eberle isn’t going to help. We need more than just 2 or 3 pieces to this puzzle.

Oilers IMO need size and a little more leadership, Jets could use a couple pieces from the Oilers, but not Yak or Gagner.

Would the Oiler do a Byfuglien & Wheeler deal for Eberle & Perron?

hotwings

January 24, 2014 at 1:54 pm

@chris… welcome to the internet… these are posts on a hockey forum (not serious subject matter)… what do you honestly expect? proper punctuation, capitals, periods, etc? please..

@shane right on pretty much… even with the past 4 years of not having a 1-2 dman on the team, it is tough to sign players there and therefore, even with all their top 10 picks, they are not about to turn into chicago or pitts anytime soon..

Matt

January 24, 2014 at 2:07 pm

Hall, ebs, nuge, Arnt going anywhere. You trade ebs , Hall walks up to management and asks to be traded.
Package deal of gags, yak, klefbom for a guy like Tyler Myers and a prospect with size , he’s big and it helps both teams not to mention buffalo will most likely draft Reinheart who could make good chemistry with yak, gags would help their team to along with a young defensive prospect like klefbom.

Chris

January 24, 2014 at 2:43 pm

@ hotwings. Big difference between a few spelling errors and a giant incoherent rambling.

Let me ask Oiler fans this: how would another team improve themselves by adding Gagner or Hemsky at the expense if a similar piece.

Most of your trade proposals only benefit Oilers. In almost every case the Oilers give up overpaid, undersized, under performing depth players for a key piece from another team.

I’m right and you’ll see it by the deadline.

timkon

January 24, 2014 at 2:44 pm

here is what doug armstrong should do, trade: berglund and 2nd rnd pick to montreal for plekanic(sorry about spelling) trade stewart, halak, and 1st rnd pick+low end prospect to buffalo for miller and 2nd or 3rd rnd pick then resign miller and trade allen and jackman to edmonton for 1 of there youngstars(not yakapov) and a prospect

mike

January 24, 2014 at 7:29 pm

“Package deal of gags, yak, klefbom for a guy like Tyler Myers and a prospect with size” Waaaaaaay overpaying for Myers. I could see gags and klefbom for myers, but not much more. Myers has had 3 straight mediocre years in the NHL. He should be getting better, but he isn’t. It’s Yak’s second season, stop expecting 60+ goals from the kid. Give him a few years before you call him stefan. The only way he is leaving edmonton is if a STUD comes back in return

corey

January 24, 2014 at 9:59 pm

@timkon

I’m so happy that army is running our team and not you. Why on earth would he trade berglund an a pick for plekanic….he has no defensive upside is a down grade in size and doesn’t play our style hockey…as for trading for miller…he’s not guaranteed to resign so why would we give up that much and Stewart is gonna be a key player when paul stastny signs here in the off season. Derek Roy is way more likely to be involved in a miller trade..and Allen will not be going anywhere until trade deadline of next season if at all….and there is absolutely no way Jackman will be traded…not my favorite player by far but he’s got a no move clause and would not go to Edmonton for any reason…not one of your trades makes any sense or makes our blues better

sensman3

January 24, 2014 at 11:54 pm

Gagner for Orpik straight up great trade both teams

timkon

January 25, 2014 at 4:59 pm

plekanic is a way better player then berglund way better defensivly and can get other teams top players of there game sure berglund is bigger but doesnt show up in the playoffs and being a blues fan i would not want to see stastny sign with the blues unless he signs for alot less than what he makes now i know he and stewart have some great chemistry but we have to resign stewart again this summer and he too is another streaky player goes on 10 game tear then falls of for 10 or so games and as for miller we need a new goalie cant see buffalo taking back roy in a trade for miller and i wouldnt give up rattie or jaskins for him and as for jackman the only reason i said him because it was either him or polak and i think polak is way better player just a thought we need to make some kind of trade or it will be another early exit at the hands of the kings again and i cant bear to see that again be a blues fan for 20+ years need to see them win a cup and i think the time is now we just need to make some small improvements